Order

Family

Code 4

Code 6

ITIS

ILLUSTRATION

PHOTOS

CONSERVATION STATUS

The Loggerhead Kingbird has a large range, estimated globally at 210,000 square kilometers. Native to the United States, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos Islands, this bird prefers wetland and forest ecosystems. The global population of this has not been precisely quantified but does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Loggerhead Kingbird is Least Concern.

Range and Habitat

Loggerhead Kingbird: Resident of the northern Bahamas Islands and Greater Antilles. Known from several sightings in Florida, most in the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Unknown in the United States until 2007, when a bird was found in Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site in Key West, Florida. Inhabits open and semi-open forests, including around forest edges and clearings.

Loggerhead Kingbird SONGS AND CALLS

Loggerhead Kingbird NN1

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Rolling "terrrrp" calls.

Loggerhead Kingbird QQ1

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Harsh squawks.

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"treeeerrp"

INTERESTING FACTS

A Loggerhead Kingbird was spotted at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West, Florida on March 8. It was the first time the bird had been recorded anywhere in the United States.

Flycatchers have whiskers. Bird whiskers differ from the stiff hairs near the mouths of mammals like cats and dogs. They are specialized feathers and not hairs.

A group of kingbirds are collectively known as a "coronation", "court", and "tyranny" of kingbirds.

RANGE MAP NORTH AMERICA

About this North America Map

FAMILY DESCRIPTION

The PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez), a large taxonomic order that includes antbirds, cotingas, and flycatchers, is composed of one hundred eighteen families of birds.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The Tyrannidae (pronounced tie-RAN-uh-dee), or tyrant flycatchers, is a very large, successful family of four hundred and twenty-four species in one hundred genera only found in the Americas.

NORTH AMERICA

In North America, one hundred forty-seven species of tyrant flycatchers in fifty-eight genera have occurred. These include the brilliant Vermillion Flycatcher, the sassy kingbirds, and the bridge-loving phoebes.

KNOWN FOR

Some tyrant flycatchers are known for their bold, aggressive behavior, this family often called the Tyrant Flycatchers for this reason. The Eastern Kingbird in particular, seems to go out of its way to chase much larger birds (such as Turkey Vultures) away from its territory.

PHYSICAL

Small to medium in size, tyrant flycatchers have stocky heads with medium sized beaks, tails that vary in length, and long wings. They also have short legs suited to their arboreal lifestyles.

COLORATION

Aside from the brilliant red and black plumage of the male Vermillion Flycatcher, most tyrant flycatchers are plumaged in dull grays, greens, and browns with whitish or yellowish underparts. A few other exceptions to this color scheme are the frosty plumage of the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher highlighted by salmon pink underwings, the orangish coloration of the Say’s Phoebe, and the black and white plumages of the Eastern Kingbird and Black Phoebe.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Members of the Tyrannidae occur in most types of forested and non-forest habitats in North America except for the tundra. Some species such as the Willow Flycatcher and Black Phoebe are associated with wetland habitats, others like the Olive-sided and Hammond’s Flycatchers need coniferous forests, and other species such as the Cassin’s Kingbird and Say’s Phoebe, occur in grasslands. Related species often replace each other in different habitats or regions such as in the case of the Eastern and Western Wood-Peewees.

MIGRATION

Most tyrant flycatchers are long distance migrants to Central and South America.

HABITS

Tyrant flycatchers do not nest in colonies and mostly forage in pairs or alone although the Eastern Kingbird forms flocks during migration and on its wintering grounds in Amazonia. Most North American flycatchers share a similar foraging strategy that often varies by niche and prey item. This foraging strategy involves watching for insects from a perch, sallying out to catch one with a snap of the beak, and returning to the perch to eat it.

CONSERVATION

Most tyrant flycatcher species have stable populations in North America. The Olive-sided Flycatcher, though, has sharply declined throughout its range possibly due to habitat destruction on its wintering grounds and has been listed as near-threatened.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Alder and Willow Flycatchers are so similar in plumage that visual identification is nearly impossible. These two species were actually considered to be one species, the “Traill’s Flycatcher,” until small differences in their plumages and distinct differences in their vocalizations showed that they were separate species. This was also the case for the Cordilleran and Pacific-slope Flycatchers, and the Eastern and Western Wood-Peewees.